Roger L. Lentz, age 88, of Monroe, formerly of Brodhead, passed away on Sunday, December 9, 2018, at Pleasant View Nursing Home. He was born on August 18, 1930 in Hanover, WI, the son of Fred and Anna (Paulson) Lentz. He married Phyllis C. Zahn on November 12, 1960 in Rockford, Ill.

Roger owned and operated the Mobil Service Station in Brodhead for many years. He was a member of the United Methodist Church of Monroe, The Brodhead American Legion Post 197, and served as an Alderman for the City of Brodhead for 4 years. Roger had also served in the U.S. Army National Guard.

He enjoyed woodworking and gardening in his spare time, and especially being with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Phyllis, Monroe; his children, Dale (Nancy) Lentz, Brodhead, Lori (Jeff) Balch, Orfordville; a sister, Lucile Roesler, Milwaukee, Wis.; six grandchildren, Stephanie Schwartzlow, Kasey Mielke, Paul and Andrew Lentz, Justin and Haley Balch, and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, a son, Gary Lentz, a grandson, Jordan Balch, a brother, Lester Lentz, and a brother-in-law, Marvin Roesler.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m., Saturday, December 15, 2018, at the United Methodist Church, Monroe, Wis. with Rev. Randy Booth officiating.

Burial was in the Plymouth Cemetery in Hanover, Wis. Visitation was held from 9:30 a.m. on Saturday until time of services at the church.

The D.L. Newcomer Funeral Home, Brodhead, assisted the family. Online condolences may be made at www.dlnewcomerfuneralhome.com

Frances M. Johnson, age 87, died peacefully on Saturday, December 15, 2018, at Oakwood Prairie Village in Madison. She was born April 2, 1931, to the late Evalyn (Parke) and Raymond Eickstead in Janesville, Wis., later growing up in Belvidere, Ill., and Durand, Ill.

A 1950 Durand High School graduate, Frances graduated in 1954 from Northern Illinois Teachers College in DeKalb, Ill. She married Ray W. Johnson June 12, 1955, in Rockford, Ill. at the Unitarian Church. Frances taught English and French at the high school level in Huntsville, Ala., Durand, Ill., and Brodhead, Wis. After retirement, she tutored English language learners in Brodhead as a volunteer.

An active community leader, Frances was a founding member of two Unitarian Universalist congregations, helped form the predecessor organization of Compassion & Choices in Wisconsin, was a member of the League of Women Voters, the Rock County Association for Home and Community Education, was an Avon 4-H Leader, worked for marital property reform in Wisconsin, and volunteered for the American Cancer Society.

Frances’s guiding principle was to treat all people with dignity, respect and kindness. Reading, music, gardening and discussing history and current events with friends were her passions.

Frances is survived by her husband, Ray Johnson; their three daughters Daphne (Lloyd) Holterman, Nadine (Sam) Miller, Valerie (Jeff) Renk; six grandchildren Lauren (Jacob) Brey, Taylor Holterman, Carly (Ben) Wood, Eleanor Miller, Kyle Breunig and Mikaela Breunig. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Barbara Fosler, and three aunts.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, December 21, 2018, at the D.L. Newcomer Funeral Home, Brodhead, Wis., preceded by a visitation starting at 10:30 a.m. until the time of the service. Online condolences may be made at www.dlnewcomerfuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the University of Wisconsin Foundation Initiative to End Alzheimer’s or a charity of your choice.

The Johnson family would like to thank the staff at Oakwood for their compassionate care of Frances.

After a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease, Gary Ray Davis passed away on December 3rd, 2018. Gary was born July 8th, 1946. He was the son of the late Clyde and Margaret Davis.

Gary graduated from Juda High School in 1965. On January 15th, 1967 he married Carol Feldt, his high school sweet heart. They ran the family farm in Spring Grove Township for ten years. After leaving the farm Gary worked as a salesman for Carter and Gruenwald.

Gary’s passion in life was being a volunteer fireman. He joined the Juda Volunteer Fire Department in 1969. He was fire chief from 1980 to 2005. He also served as President of the Southern Wisconsin Northern Illinois Fire Association. Gary was also a member of the Green Country Crime Stoppers and the Administrative Board member of the Oakley Union United Methodist Church.

Gary was an avid hunter. He would take his go-devil boat duck hunting on the Mississippi River near Glen Haven. He would hit the river early to sit in his duck blind with his dog beside him. Many summers were spent riding his Harley with his friends and later Jeep trips. Gary and Carol enjoyed traveling including motorcycle trips out west and meeting ranchers and fire fighters.

He was preceded in death by his parents. Clyde and Margaret Davis, sisters Linda Feldt and Marcia Davis and brother Jack Feldt.

A Celebration of life will be held on Friday, December 21st, 2018 at the Juda Community Center starting at 6 p.m. with a service at 7 p.m. A memorial is established for the Juda Fire Department.

Condolences may be shared with his family at www.walkermoruary.com.

]]>JAMES “JIM” A. CALDWELLhttp://indreg.com/2018/12/18/james-jim-a-caldwell/
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 19:57:41 +0000http://indreg.com/?p=6456James “Jim” A. Caldwell passed away on Tuesday, December 11, 2018, in Stevens Point, Wis. He was born on September 12, 1932, the son of the late James P. and Isabelle E. (Smith) Caldwell.

James graduated from Brodhead High School in 1950 and the University of Wisconsin Madison, earning a Bachelor’s Degree, having a split major in agriculture and teaching, and a Master’s Degree from Rockford College.

While in college, he volunteered to serve his country. He enlisted in the United States Army and was a Specialist 3rd Class stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska during the Korean War.

After his honorable discharge, he returned to UW Madison and joined the Air-force ROTC, and later continued to serve with the Army Reserves. He began his career in education in Beloit, Wis., where he met Marcia K. McIntire. On October 7, 1962, they were married in Fairfield, Iowa. They remained married for 47 years. She passed away on November 5, 2009.

Jim is survived by his three children: Brian (Michele) Caldwell of Plover, Wis., Lisa (Bob) Young of Stevens Point, Wis. and Leslie (Tom) Weber of Wonewoc, Wis.; and his six grandchildren: Benjamin, Alana, Tyler, Matthew, Julia, and Samuel.

He is further survived by his sister, Mary Searles and special friend Ann Hill, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters, June Mohns-Wendler and Jean Rae Caldwell (infant).

James believed in nourishing the mind, body and spirit. After teaching fifth and sixth grade in Monroe, Wis. for nearly 40 years, he retired and audited college classes until just recently, when his health would not allow him to continue. He enjoyed history and historical trivia. He was committed to exercise and could be seen walking all around town on one of his many daily walks.

He was a long-time member of Brodhead Methodist Church and more recently began attending Cargill United Methodist Church in Janesville. He enjoyed reading and attending church functions and local sporting events.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m., Monday, December 17, 2018, at the D.L. Newcomer Funeral Home, Brodhead, with Rev. Irv Case officiating. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery, Brodhead, with military rites. Visitation was held on Sunday, December 16, 2018, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorials can be made to the Brodhead Library or the Brodhead Sports Boosters. Online condolences may be made at www.dlnewcomerfuneralhome.com

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Independent-RegisterTOOL members have been busy spreading holiday cheer to those in need.

Over 60 seventh and eighth-grade members of the Team of Outstanding Leaders were out and about on Dec. 3.

TOOL adviser, Stephanie Tresemer, would like to thank Beth Riesterer for joining the TOOL team on this busy day of leadership enrichments. This annual tradition of spreading holiday cheer, while volunteering had TOOL members busy all day.

Time was spent at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church assisting local volunteers to pack boxes of nonperishable donations to be distributed through the White Gift organization. Additional TOOL members worked on crafts and projects related to our upcoming holiday luncheon.

Next, the TOOL team journeyed to Monroe to deliver 30 fleece-tie blankets. Many of these blankets were made during Make a Difference Day in November.

MANDY FIELDS PHOTO The Independent-RegisterZoe Tresemer slips in between defenders to get the shot up the middle.

By Trenten Scheidegger, Sports Correspondent –

The Brodhead girl’s basketball team hosted the Edgerton Tide last Tuesday.

Zoe Tresemer hit on both of the teams first free throws of the evening, as she tied things up at five points early on in the game.

The Cards were able to hold a slim lead throughout most of the first half. Just when Edgerton brought the score within one, Alexis Oliver found her sister, Onnikah Oliver, for the assist as she put Brodhead up 14-11 with 4 minutes. 30 seconds left in the half.

The Brodhead boys traveled to Beloit Turner last Thursday for a Rock Valley Conference matchup. The Cards came in knowing they would have a tough matchup as Beloit Turner carried a 3-1-conference record.

Cade Walker led the way offensively for the Cards in the first half. Walker went into the break with seven points, while three other Cardinal boys had five points apiece. Despite the well-balanced offense, the Trojans showed their impressive firepower, as they dropped 44 points in the first half. The Cardinals went into halftime trailing 28-44.

The Senior/Community Center committee has been meeting over the last few weeks to discuss building plans and possible referendum questions for the April 2019 ballot.

On Dec. 4, the committee met to observe a design concept from Chris Manske from Keller Group.

Mayor Doug Pinnow kicked off the meeting by announcing the change in the agenda layout for public appearances. The agenda now reads, “Public Appearances: This is the public’s opportunity to speak. Each citizen is allowed 5 minutes to address the committee.”

During public appearances, Tim Stocks spoke up and addressed the committee. “I have a couple of points of interest I just have questions about that I need straightened out in my mind,” Stocks said. He asked the committee to clarify if it was their preference to hold off on fundraising until a total dollar amount for the project could be produce.

She was born on February 20,1928 in Avon Township, Rock County, the middle child of 13, born to Albert and Elizabeth (Rhyner) Stuessy. She attended Stokes School in Rock County and later earned her G.E.D.

On May 27, 1950, she and Robert G. Gessert were married in the Brodhead Evangelical United Brethern Church parsonage. Together they farmed the Dr. M. W. Stuessy farm for over 20 years, earning recognition for their conservation methods and progressive agricultural practices.

Upon sale of the dairy farm, they moved to their own acreage on Nelson Road where they tended an orchard, large vegetable, domestic and native flower gardens, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and a menagerie of animals besides beef cattle.